Love, After Dark

Chapter 7

The days after the restaurant blurred together, each one folding into the next until time stopped feeling real. I still went to school. Still sat in my usual seats. Still nodded when people spoke to me. But everything felt distant, muffled, like I was watching my life through fogged glass. Millburn- the streets, the buildings, the routines- already felt like something I was losing, even though I hadn’t left yet.

Kayla noticed immediately. She tried everything. She showed up at my locker with coffee one morning, even though we both hated it. She made jokes that didn’t land. She suggested ditching class to drive around now that I had my license, windows down, music blasting like we used to talk about. I smiled for her, laughed when I was supposed to, but the heaviness stayed, pressing down on my chest until even joy felt exhausting.

Leaving wasn’t just about moving. It was about everything I didn’t get to finish. Graduating with Kayla. Walking these halls knowing they were mine until the end. Maybe even finally beating the high score on Boy Blaster at the arcade downtown. All of it felt ripped away before I was ready to let go.

By Wednesday, the fog finally caught up to me in AP Calculus. The test landed on my desk, and I stared at it like it was written in another language. Numbers swam. Formulas slipped through my fingers. When the graded papers came back, the red D punched the air out of my lungs. “Siri,” Mrs. Malone said after the bell, her voice calm but firm. “Stay a moment.” I hovered at her desk, heart pounding. “I don’t care how much time you have left in my class,” she said, folding her hands. “I know you can do this work. You will retake this test on Friday.” “I’m leaving,” I said quietly. She raised an eyebrow. “And that changes nothing.”

Friday arrived like a goodbye I wasn’t ready for. My last day. Everything hurt more. The lockers. The classrooms. The way people looked at me like I was already gone. Kayla stuck close, refusing to let me disappear into my thoughts. “We’re doing something tonight,” she said. “I don’t care what. We’re not letting your last day end like this.”

The exam retake felt different. I slowed down. I breathed. I remembered the girl who used to believe she could do anything. When Mrs. Malone handed it back, she smiled. “See?” she said. “I knew you’d do better.” An A stared back at me. “It’s been an honor having you in my class,” she added with a smile. “Take advantage of this opportunity. Go as far as you can. I know you will.” The rest of the day passed in pieces. Teachers stopped me in the hall, classmates offered hugs, even people I barely spoke to wished me luck. People rarely left Millburn. It was one of those towns where the grocery store clerk remembered your 5th birthday, so, my family leaving was a big deal to everyone. As Kayla and I walked out the large double doors, I turned for one last look at Millburn High. Then I took a breath and kept walking.